Disney Villains After Hours – Worth Checking Out?

What lurks in the night? At the Magic Kingdom this summer it will be the Disney Villains. It’s been said be careful what you ask for, or you may get it. For many years, the Disney community has said the Disney Villains are underutilized in the Walt Disney World parks. It looks like Disney World has been listening with the brand new nighttime event called, Disney Villains After Hours. With the event kicking off in a few days is it something worth checking out this summer? We’ll get the flashlights if you pick up the coffee. Let’s keep our eyes peeled so we don’t get spoked!

Club Villain at Hollywood Studios

Quick History

Disney Villains After Hours is not the first event Walt Disney World has created featuring the infamous villainous characters. In 2015 Disney hosted an event called Club Villain at Hollywood Studios during the various times of the year. Consisting of character meet ‘n greets, a dance party, delectable bites, and frothy beverages, the event ran for a couple of seasons before being retired.

When the lights go out the Disney Villains come out. The Villains After Hour event is a twist on the very successful Disney After Hours Events where a limited number of guests enjoy the Magic Kingdom after the official park closing. With 20 of the parks most popular attractions open, Disney is adding unique Villain inspired shows, treats, and merchandise for the event.

Passholder Insights: If you’re looking to attend the event for the rides, we recommend heading the bigger attractions a little later in the evening when everything quiets down.

Hades Will Be Featured In Stage Show

The Castle Show

The headliner of the event will be the all-new Disney Villains After Hours stage show. Starring Meg and Hades from Hercules, the show will include appearances from Jafar, The Queen, Dr. Facilier, and Maleficent. From how Disney is describing the show saying it will set the castle a blaze, it leads us to believe the show will utilize the castle projection technology. This is the same technology Disney uses for Happily Ever After, and let’s just say – wow!

One thing to note is the Disney Villains will not be available for character meet ‘n greets. They will only be available for the show. However, they will have food and beverage items available for purchase inspired by the characters. The standard After Hour event treats are no additional cost.

Passholder Insights: For special events, Disney does not put the agenda on the My Disney Experience app. When you enter the park make sure to grab one of the event’s paper agendas to for the happenings.

Maleficent Roaming In The Magic Kingdom

Make Way For Maleficent?

Move over Prince Ali, it’s time for the Maleficent dragon to take center stage. The star of the Festival of the Fantasy parade will be “roaming” the park during the Disney Villains After Hours event. We believe she will be following the afternoon parade route but at a much slower rate. With the low guest levels and slower pace, this could be a great opportunity to capture a once in a lifetime picture with her!

Special Space Mountain Experience

Ride Experiences

Two of the more famous attractions at the Magic Kingdom will be getting a Disney Villain’s “makeover”. Both Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean will have villain inspired additions to either the ride itself or potentially the queue. Disney is keeping the changes under wrap and everything at this point is just speculation. The concepts getting the most traction would be pirates joining your voyage on Pirates of the Caribbean, and villains taunting you as you whiz through space.

Our Thoughts

It’s great to see the Disney villains get the spotlight in the Disney Villains After Hours event. If you’re a fan of the villains or looking at adding an After Hours Event to your trip this event would be worthwhile. With the event costing about $14 more than the regular After Hour events, you’re definitely getting a great value for what Disney is adding. If you’re looking for tickets you can find them here. We would recommend buying at least a day in advance to get the discounted rate. We ain’t scared of no villains!